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A naked protest took place in the House of Commons yesterday causing something of a commotion in the public gallery.

MPs continued their Brexit debate as Extinction Rebellion activists with messages painted on their bodies stood up in and glued themselves to the glass yesterday.

Naturally, the commotion was met some great reaction from some of the MPs, not least Ed Miliband, whose eyes bulged so much they appeared to be coming out of his head at one point.

This image of Ed Miliband reacting during MP Peter Kyle’s speech in the Brexit debate

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MPs were distracted by the naked protesters (Picture: James Heappey MP)

MP Peter Kyle tactfully mentioned activity in his ‘peripheral vision’ and managed to work in ‘the bottom line’ and ‘naked truth’ into his speech.

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Police arrested 12 people on suspicion of outraging public decency after climate change activists stripped off to stage a protest in the House of Commons while MPs debated Brexit.

Some of the activists dressed only in underwear used superglue in an attempt to stick themselves to the glass which separates the gallery from the chamber.

MPs were seen taking a glance up at the protest and Speaker John Bercow maintained that the debate on the second stage of the Brexit alternatives would proceed despite the protest.

Scotland Yard said officers were sent in an attempt to ‘negotiate’ with the activists, before adding: ’12 arrests have been made for outraging public decency.’

Extinction Rebellion have taken responsibility for the protest (Picture: ExtinctionR)

MPs joked about the protests in their speeches (Picture: ExtinctionR)

Extinction Rebellion, which describes itself as a non-violent direct action and civil disobedience group, said the protest was an attempt to draw politicians’ attentions to the ‘climate and ecological crisis’.

Protester Savannah, an English literature student from Ladbroke Grove in west London, told the Press Association: ‘Everyone stripped and two people were elephants and had ‘climate crisis’ written on them.

‘We were pointing at them as the elephants in the room of the Brexit debate.’

She added: ‘Personally I don’t care that much about Brexit.

‘I think it’s fine that people do but I think there are bigger things right now.’

Nuala Gathercole-Lam, an Extinction Rebellion member from Haringey in north London, said there were 20 protesters in the public gallery, with 14 stripping and roughly eight sticking themselves to the glass with superglue.

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‘It’s a crazy thing to do but the situation is crazy – there is no Brexit on a dead planet,’ she told PA.

Activist Oliver Baines, 68, a retired charity director from Cornwall, said he was protesting to put climate change higher up the agenda.